Bhubaneswar, June 27 (IANS) A large crowd of devotees has gathered at Puri’s Jagannath Temple for Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra that will commence on Friday. Jagannath Rath Yatra, also known as the Chariot Festival or Shree Gundicha Yatra, is a major Hindu festival celebrated annually in Odisha.

It is observed on Dwitiya Tithi — the second day of the (Shukla Paksha) of the lunar month — a time considered spiritually auspicious due to the increasing brightness of the moon.

Renowned scholar on Jagannath culture, Suryanarayan Rath Sharma, speaking on the Rath Yatra, told IANS, “The Rath Yatra is the most ancient chariot festival in the world… It is believed that having darshan of Lord Jagannath during this Yatra grants a devotee moksha.”

The devotees have gathered by the millions for the famous Ratha Yatra, as Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra prepare to embark on their nine-day sojourn from their abode, the 12th-century shrine, to Gundicha Temple today.

Devotees, gripped with ecstasy, will pull the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra — Nandighosh, Taladhwaja, and Darpadalan respectively — for around 3 km to the Gundicha Temple, believed by some legends to be the birthplace of the Chaturddha Murti (Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Maa Subhadra, and Sudarshan).

Various departments of the state government have made elaborate preparations to ensure a smooth and incident-free Rath Yatra.

“We are fully prepared for the grand Rathayatra. All rituals and arrangements have been meticulously planned and will be carried out with equal dedication. I seek the blessings of Mahaprabhu and the cooperation of all devotees to ensure a smooth and sacred celebration,” said Sidharth Shankar Swain, Collector, Puri earlier on Thursday.

The holy city of Puri has been placed under a five-tiered security blanket for the nine-day-long Rath Yatra festival. As many as 200 platoons of police force and eight companies of the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, etc., have been deployed throughout the sacred coastal town for the Ratha Yatra.

Similarly, around 10,000 personnel of Odisha police, Central Armed Police Force and Home Guard have been deployed in Puri and around the city during the Ratha Yatra this year.

The police officers stationed at integrated command-and-control system, set up for the first time this year, and other sub-control rooms will keep a watch on traffic and crowd movements through live feeds from around 275 AI-enabled CCTVs installed from Uttara Square to Puri Town, in the town and from Puri to Konark.

–IANS

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